Railway rail and crossing construction.



w H. WHITTINGTON.

RAILWAY RAIL AND CROSSING OONSTRUUTION.

APPLICATION FILED I E BA, 1913.

Patented June 16, 1914.

COLUMBIA mmoamvu CU.,\VASHINUTON. n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WADE n. wnrrrme'ron, or LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

RAILWAY RAIL AND CROSSING CONSTRUCTION.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VVADE H. Wrrrr'rms- TON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los An geles, State of California, have invented a new and useful Railway Rail and Crossing Construction, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved rail and crossing construction for railways, the object of the invention being to provide a composite rail comprising a foundation member and a top member detachably secured thereto in such manner as to provide maximum resistance to the strains to which it is subjected in use.

Another object of the invention is to provide a crossing member in which the upper removable members are normally interlocked so as to mutually brace one another.

Other objects of the invention will appear hereinafter.

The accompanying drawings illustrate embodiments of my invention, and referring thereto: Figure 1 is a plan view of a rail crossing partly broken away, showing portions of the abutting rails. Fig. 2 is a ver tical section of the track. Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the rail. Fig. 1 is a plan view of another form of the invention.

The improved rail comprises a base or foundation member 1 which is intended to be secured permanently in place on the ties or road bed, and a top member 2 which is re movably supported on said base or foundation member. Said base member is provided with a bottom foot portion 3, a vertical web portion 4:, and flanges 5 and 6 extending laterally from said web portion, the flange 5 being provided with a flange or extension 7 extending upwardly and inwardly to form a longitudinal groove 8. The top member 2 may be of any suitable form according to the type of rail desired, being, for example, formed as a grooved rail provided with a groove 2 for receiving the flange of the car wheels, said top member being adapted to rest upon the top of the base member 1, and having a laterally extending tongue or flange 10 adapted to extend under the flange extension 7 and into the groove 8 aforesaid when the rail is assembled. Said top member is also preferably provided with a flange 12 extending laterally downwardly and then inwardly from the side opposite the tongue 10 so Serial No. 746,091.

as to embrace the flange 6 of the base mem ber when the top member is in normal position. The top member is assembled on the base member by sliding it laterally outward over the base member so as to bring the tongue 10 under the flange extension 7, and the flange 12 under the flange 6 of the base member, and when the parts have been brought into tight contact in this manner they are held in that position by means of keys 13 driven through perforations 14 and 15 in the respective members 2 and 1, said keys being preferably somewhat tapered so as to give a tight drive fit.

The type of rail above described may be used throughout the track system including the crossings, the crossing being built up with such rails preferably in the manner shown in Fig. 1, the base member 21 of the crossing being formed preferably as an integral or rigid piece, set permanently in po sition at the crossing, formed with longitudinal members 18 and transverse members 19 having flanges 22 extending along the outside of each of the longitudinal track rails, these flanges being cut away as at 23 where the cross rails are to pass, and the longitudinal portions 18 of the crossing being connected by transverse portions 19 having flanges 26 at their outer edges. Said flanges 22 and 26 extend upwardly and inwardly corresponding in function to the flanges 7 of the rail above described. The upper part of the crossing is formed of two longitudinal members 28 and'two transverse members 29, each longitudinal member 28 having flanges 30 extending at its inner edge ex tending downwardly and inwardly to fit over the inner edges of the base members 21 and having a tongue 81 at its outer edge to slip under the flanges 22 on the said base member. The transverse top members 29 are similarly provided with down and inturned flanges 3]. and with outward extending tongues 32 to engage with the transverse members 19 of the base portion of the crossing.

The longitudinal top members 28 are first pushed outwardly into position on the members 18 of the base and then the transverse top members 29 are forced outwardly into position on transverse members 19, and between the longitudinal members 28, so as to brace the latter and hold them out against flanges 22. The longitudinal top rail members 2 may extend over the ends of the base bottom members 18, and the rail members 2 of the cross track may abut directly against the longitudinal top members 28 of the crossing.

Witl1 the construction above described the pressure of the flanged wheels of the train on the track rails forces the top members 2, 2S and 29 outwardly against the flanges on the bottom member so that the direct thrust due to the lateral pressure of the train is taken by the flanges and not by the keys or fastening means. The flange at the inner side of the rail aids in this action and also resists the overturning action on the rail due to the side thrust of the train. In the form of the invention shown in Fig. 4 the base member 33 of the crossing is provided with flanges '34 extending up wardly and inwardly at the outside of the rail at one side of the track and at the inside of the rail at the other side of the track for both the longitudinal and transverse direc tions, and the top member in this case may be formed as a single integral or rigid piece 35 having downwardly and inwardly extending flanges 36 on the sides opposite the flanges on the base member so that by placing the top member on the base member and pushing it in an oblique direction the flanges on both inner and outer sides may be engaged by one and the same movement on both sides of the track, and in both transverse and longitudinal directions, and the top member may then be fastened by keys 37 driven through perforations 38 in said members.

l/Vhat I claim is:

1. A railway rail construction comprising a base member having horizontally extending flanges at its top, one of said flanges having an upwardly and inwardly extending flange extension at its outer edge and a top member having at one edge a tongue fitting beneath said flange extension and having at its other edge and formed integrally therewith a downwardly and inwardly extending flange fitting beneath the flange at the corresponding edge of the base member and keys engaging said top and base members to secure the same together.

2. A railway rail crossing construction comprising a base member formed of longi tudinal and transverse portions, each of said portions having upwardly and inwardly extending flanges along one side thereof, and top crossing members extending respectively over the longitudinal and transverse por tions of the base member and having tongues engaging beneath said flanges on the base member.

3. A railway construction and crossing comprising a base member formed of longitudinal and transverse portions, each of said portions having upwardly and inwardly extending flanges along one side thereof, and top crossing members extending respectively over the longitudinal and transverse portions of the base member and having tongues engaging beneath said flanges on the base member, and provided with downwardly and inwardly extending flanges engaging beneath the base member on the sides away from the flanges on said member.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Los Angeles, California this 27th day of January 1913.

IVADE H. VVHITTINGTON.

In presence of- ARTHUR P. KNIGHT, MARTHA M. LANGE.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, 1 v Washington, D. G. 

